


Wide Eyed Wonder

by firecracker189



Series: Link But Smaller [9]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Gen, Non-Sexual Age Play, big brother!Rhett, little!link, nsap, toddler!Link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 16:16:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18034940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firecracker189/pseuds/firecracker189
Summary: ALso posted in my Regressuary 2019 prompts, but just wanted to get this into the series it belongs to. Rhett takes Link to the zoo for a surprise!





	Wide Eyed Wonder

Link was feeling a little small when he woke up, not really wanting to leave the house--but Rhett was really excited about something he’d planned for them to do that weekend. So he got up, put on some sweats and a hoodie, and met Rhett when he pulled into the driveway.

“Alright, man, what’s up? You’ve been all secretive for days now.” Link buckled his seatbelt and turned sideways a little so he could look at Rhett.

Rhett gave him the biggest smile, turning the wheel a little to back out of the drive. “You’ll see. You just sit back and relax.”

“That makes me nervous. You’ve said that to me too many times in reference to things I don’t like.”

“Well, okay. You got me there. But this time I’m absolutely serious.”

Link let himself doze a little, surprised when Rhett shook his arm and told him they were there.

“Mm, where’s ‘here’?” he asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes under his glasses as he sat up.

“You’ll find out,” Rhett answered cryptically, reaching around behind him to grab a backpack and bring it up to the front. “But you’ll probably want these.” He pulled out two pairs of sunglasses and handed one to Link. Link took them and slipped them on, giving a goofy but tired smile. “Do I look cool now?”

“Nah.  _I’m_ here, so you’re like, the second coolest.” Rhett took the keys out of the ignition and opened his door. “Now come on, man. I got somethin’ special for you to see!”

Link tumbled out of the car, grateful for the sunglasses as he shut the car door. The early morning sun was already blazing overhead. He followed Rhett a little ways down the parking lot before it clicked.

“You’re….takin’ me to the zoo?”

“I have my reasons. I packed you a lil’ snack in case you get cranky later, too!” Rhett smirked a little as he patted his backpack with one hand, slipping the strap over his other shoulder. “But you gotta promise you’re gonna tell me if you gotta go to the bathroom. You’re kinda bad at that.” he held out his arm, catching Link in the gut as he made to cross the street. “Among other things.” he murmured with a small shake of the head, glaring softly at Link from behind his aviators. “The phrase ‘look both ways’ not ringing any bells for you?” Rhett removed his arm and Link crossed the street with him, shrugging a bit.

“Sorry, Rhett.” he murmured.

“Man, sometimes I think without me around to help you out, you’d die.” Rhett pulled his bill fold out of his pocket and paid for their entrance fee and parking. Link scuffed his sneaker against the concrete and made no comment.

* * *

 

“Want me to get you one of those?” Rhett pointed with a teasing look on his face. A mother was pushing a rented stroller with two very sweaty and tired looking kiddos in it. Link actually kind of did, but he wasn’t going to say it out loud.

“C’mon, man,” Link shoved the last bite of sandwich into his mouth and passed his trash off to Rhett. He watched him toss their lunch trash into the trashcan and frowned a little, pushing his sunglasses up onto the top of his head. “Um, Rhett?”

Rhett sat his backpack down on the bench next to him and started digging around for something. “Mm?”

“Not that this isn’t fun, but...why’d you bring me here?”

“You can’t just lemme spoil you a little bit?” He let out a little grunt of triumph and pulled out what he was looking for--a spray bottle of sunscreen and a little bottle of liquid for the face. “Stand up.”

Link stood. “You gonna slather that on me?” he asked, feeling smaller by the second. He’d rid himself of his hoodie not ten minutes after they got there, tee shirt serving to bare his arms and neck to the L.A. sun.

“You didn’t put any on earlier, so yeah. You don’t do it yourself, then I’m gonna do it for you. You know you don’t tan like I do. You just burn and then peel for days.” Rhett gestured impatiently.

Link turned around and sighed heavily, holding up his arms. After a thorough spray of arms and neck, Rhett put the bottle away and uncapped the liquid sunscreen. “Turn around?”

Link turned back and made a face. “It stinks, man!”

“It’s sunscreen, it’s not supposed to smell good.” Rhett made sure to get Link’s ears and face taken care of, humming a little to himself as he put the cap back on the tube. “There. Now you won’t get sunburned.” Rhett zipped the bag back up and put it on his back. “Right. Let’s head on to the bathroom and then we can go see what we really came to see.”

“And what’s that?” Link trailed behind him curiously.

“It won’t be a surprise if you keep askin’ questions.” Rhett propped the door open. “Go on.” He gestured with his opposite hand. “I’m not risking wet pants just because you’re curious.”

Link pouted a little as he stepped inside. “Not gonna wet the pants.” he mumbled to nobody in particular as he shut himself inside the handicapped stall. He didn’t trust himself at the moment to take advantage of one of the urinals. Rhett had messed with his head with that sunscreen thing, and he could feel himself starting to get that fuzzy headed feeling around the outskirts of his brain. Better safe than sorry, as much as he hated to admit that Rhett was probably right on that front.

He did in fact, manage to get his hands washed and to avoid ruining the cozy joggers he wore. Rhett was waiting back at the bench when he came out, a notebook in his hands that looked suspiciously like the one he kept around the office for Link’s sticker chart. He closed the book and stowed it back away as Link approached, smiling a little. “Better?”

Link shifted on the spot and resisted the urge to reach for Rhett’s hand.

“Yeah.” he murmured. “You ready to walk?”

“If you are.” Rhett slung the bag over his shoulders again and took a step towards the main pathway. “Let’s head that way.” he pointed to the giraffe pen and Link nodded vaguely. It was harder than he’d thought originally, staying in his big headspace when he was at the zoo with Rhett. Everything in him wanted to let go and cling onto Rhett’s hand and make a running commentary of everything he wanted to say about all the cool animals. But he had to keep himself in check because there were people watching. He didn’t like that. Link just wanted to be small and enjoy his day at the zoo with Bubba! He pressed up closer to Rhett while they made their way slowly around a bend in the pathway, their shoulders brushing.

Rhett slung an arm over his shoulders easily--an acceptable form of contact that put them close but not close enough that people would be suspicious.

“Thanks.”

Rhett didn’t miss the tiny slur of words that indicated Link was slipping. “You’re welcome, bo.” he murmured. “You wanna see the elephants first, or go see the surprise first?” He caught Link’s hand before he could raise it to his lips and chew on his nails.

“Don’t do that.” Rhett told him gently. “C’mon. Elephants or surprise?”

Link stopped and frowned softly. “Um, surprise?” he murmured, looking a little bit lost.

“Okay, buddy. Let’s go this way,” Rhett pointed and gently gripped at Link’s elbow, subtly guiding him around the left hand bend in the road. “You’re gonna love your surprise.” Rhett told him, smiling to himself as he let go of Link’s arm.

“What is it?” Link whined just a little, pulling his sunglasses down from the top of his head to put them back on. Rhett was just glad he’d seen fit to grab a pair that would fit over Link’s glasses.

“I can’t tell you that, but you’re about to see it.” Rhett told him, looking so downright gleeful that Link had to admit he was curious. They rounded another long bend in the road and Link stopped short, eyes glued to the paddock at the end of the pathway.

“Oh,” he breathed, eyes going wide as Rhett guided him down to the end of the road.

Rhett laughed a little as they stood several feet back from the fence. Link’s eyes were big as saucers and he hadn’t spoke for a good few minutes, just staring silently at the grassy paddock full of pot-bellied miniature horses. A moment passed before Link seemed to re-animate, tugging on Rhett’s sleeve insistently. “Yeah, bo. I see them. You wanna get closer to the fence?”

Link  _squeaked_ , turning to stare at Rhett with an awed expression, hand frozen just pointing at the horses.

“C’n move closer?” he asked, awed.

“Course we can. As long as you don’t reach over the fence, we can go right up to it. Now, they bite, okay? So keep your hands where I can see them.”

Link nodded, still seemingly unable to form many words as Rhett shepherded him up to the fence.

“Ohhhh,” It was the softest sound he’d ever heard Link make.

Rhett smiled, pulling out his phone and filming a little of Link’s reaction so he could put it on Instagram later. “You havin’ fun with those mini horses, Link?” he asked with a big smile.

Link turned towards the camera and gave a clumsy thumbs up. “They’re so  _cuteeeee_!” he exclaimed.

“They are pretty cute.” Rhett agreed, hitting the ‘stop’ button and putting his phone back in his pocket.

* * *

Rhett let Link stay there for as long as he wanted, eventually checking his watch and deciding it was a good time to get Link back home, maybe see if he’d take a nap. Jessie had thoughtfully cleared the kiddos out for the day, taking the boys to the pool and then out to dinner and a movie--so there was no risking anything to just get Link back to his house. “Hey, buddy? Let’s say goodbye to the horses, I’m startin’ to get a little hungry and tired. Let’s get on back towards the entrance.”

Link’s body language didn’t give anything away, but his eyes said ‘I’m about to tantrum’ as Rhett not-so-subtly guided him away from the paddock. “Don’t you act out,” Rhett murmured into his ear as he let go of Link’s shirt. “If you’re good for me I’ll get you a stuffed pony from the gift shop, okay?” he unashamedly bribed.

“I can pick?”

It sounded like a struggle for Link to not refer to himself in the third person. Rhett definitely had to get him home soon.

“Yeah, buddy. You can pick, I promise.”

Link kept his promise and pulled himself together, behaving admirably as Rhett got him into the gift shop and let him look around.

“That one?” he asked, as Link poked him in the arm and held out a polka dotted brown and white plush horse.

“This one.” he agreed thoughtfully, handing it to Rhett.

“Good choice, buddy.”

Link drifted towards the door while Rhett paid for and bagged up his stuffie, nibbling absently at his nails in a way that said he really  _really_ needed a nap. Rhett told the cashier to keep the change and strolled over to Link. “Hey. C’mon. Let’s go.” he murmured sympathetically. It was a struggle of epic proportions to get Link back to the car. Link kept leaning on him and making soft whines that threatened full tears if Rhett didn’t get him out of public view fast enough. He got Link moving as fast as he dared, letting out a sigh once he’d shut the car door behind himself.

“Okay, buddyroll. Let’s get you back home for a nap, huh?”

Link yawned widely and took off both pairs of glasses, rubbing at his eyes while Rhett strapped his seatbelt in. “S’eepy,” he agreed plaintively.

“I know you are,” Rhett agreed, pulling out onto the highway. “Just wait a little longer and we can get you in your jammies and all cleaned up.”

“No bafs,” Link murmured softly, leaning back against the seat.

“Yes baths. Link smells like sunscreen and zoo dirt. So Link gets baths.”

“No,” he mumbled again, eyes sliding closed.

* * *

Rhett hated to shake him awake, because he knew it would only serve to give him a crankier boy to try and put down for his nap, but it had to be done. “C’mon, bumblebee. Wake up so we can go inside. You wanna carry your new friend for me?” he bribed Link yet again by pressing the soft animal up against Link’s arms once he’d gotten him extracted from the seatbelt.

“Mm, Link s’eeps here.” Link cuddled up to the stuffie.

“Nope, Link goes inside.” Rhett went for a low blow and poked Link in the ribs.

Link squeaked and opened his eyes to glare at Rhett. “ _Mean,_ bubba.” he pouted.

“Yeah, Bubba’s the worst.” Rhett opened his car door. “C’mon. I’ll come over there and open the door for you. The sooner Link goes inside and lets Bubba give him a bath, the sooner Link can have cuddles.”

Link went willingly after that, shuffling around the house like a zombie while Rhett got him cleaned up and zipped into his footed sleeper.

“Link s’eeps, now?” Link gave an almighty yawn as Rhett finished toweling his hair dry, rubbing at his eyes with his knuckles.

“Yeah, buddy. Link can sleep now.” Rhett told him, taking his hand and guiding him down the hall to his and Jessie’s room. “Link gets to take a nap with Bubba now.” He got out Link’s binky out and his blankie. “Does Link want to nap with his new stuffie friend, or does Link want his blankie?”

Link made little grabby hands. “Link wan’s blankie, p’ease.” He sidled up to Rhett and nuzzled at his shoulder sleepily.

“Okay. Alright, sleepy boy. Let’s just get in bed.” Rhett gave Link the requested cuddle items and then made sure to guide him all the way under the covers, kissing his forehead. “Just a second and let Bubba change clothes.”

Rhett wasted no time in sliding into a pair of his own pajamas before crawling up by Link and setting the alarm on his phone. “C’mere, cuddly boy,” he said fondly, wrapping his arms around Link and letting him nose right up to his clavicle. “Let’s just have a good nap. We had a good day, didn’t we, bumblebee?”

“Mm,” Link hummed sleepily around his binky. “Bes’ day wif Bubba.”


End file.
